US, Russia to hold Syria talks
The United States and Russia were to hold new talks yesterday on avoiding incidents in the skies of Syria, as regime forces launched heavy attacks against rebels near Damascus.
Fighting was also reported in the northern city of Aleppo, where jihadists from the Islamic State group were making advances against other rebel fighters.
The US-Russia talks come after the Pentagon said American and Russian planes had come within kilometres (miles) of each other on Saturday, making visual contact as the countries wage separate air wars over Syria.
US Defence Secretary Ash Carter said the talks between the US and Russian militaries would aim to ensure Moscow follows "basic safety procedures" over Syria.
"Even as we continue to disagree on Syria policy, we should be able to at least agree on making sure our airmen are as safe as possible," Carter said.
Colonel Steve Warren, the Baghdad-based spokesman for the coalition, told reporters that Saturday's incident saw coalition and Russian planes just "miles apart" over Syria.
"Visual identification took place. All pilots conducted themselves appropriately and everyone went about their business," he said.
Germany's Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier yesterday warned of the risk of a US-Russian conflict breaking out over Syria, as he readied to travel to the region.
American and Russian planes are currently waging separate air campaigns over Syria targeting Islamic State militants.
Steinmeier said he wanted to "urgently caution the US and Russia not to military engage in a way that in the end could lead to a conflict" between them.
Russia's intervention has raised the stakes in the Syrian conflict, which has left more than 245,000 dead and forced millions from their homes since it erupted in March 2011.
Moscow insists it is targeting IS, which has emerged as the preeminent jihadist group during the conflict and seized swathes of territory in Syria and Iraq.
It said yesterday that Russian jets had hit 40 IS targets in five Syrian provinces in the past 24 hours.
In Damascus on Tuesday, Russia's embassy was struck by two rockets reportedly fired from rebel-held territory on the eastern edges of the capital. There were no reports of dead or wounded.
In Aleppo, the Observatory said IS had seized new territory from other rebels. It said the fighting had killed 13 IS fighters and seven rebels.
Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu yesterday warned the United States and Russia against "unacceptable" military and political support for Syrian Kurdish forces fighting IS.
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